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Manchester City Twenty Years Ago: Clawing Their Way Towards Promotion

ByDavid Crook|
30 May 1999: Nicky Weaver of Manchester City celebrates after saving a penalty during the Nationwide Division Two Play-Off Final match against Gillingham played at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The match finished in a 2-2 draw after extra-time and in the penalty shoot-out Manchester City won 3-1 and were promoted to Division One. Mandatory Credit: Gary M Prior/Allsport
30 May 1999: Nicky Weaver of Manchester City celebrates after saving a penalty during the Nationwide Division Two Play-Off Final match against Gillingham played at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The match finished in a 2-2 draw after extra-time and in the penalty shoot-out Manchester City won 3-1 and were promoted to Division One. Mandatory Credit: Gary M Prior/Allsport

Looking around at the current Manchester City Football Club it is easy to forget that just 20 years ago we were attempting to clamber back from our lowest point.

30 May 1999: The Manchester City players line up during the penalty shoot-out during the Nationwide Division Two Play-Off Final match against Gillingham played at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The match finished in a 2-2 draw after extra-time andin the penalty shoot-out Manchester City won 3-1 and were promoted to Division One. Mandatory Credit: Alex Livesey /Allsport
30 May 1999: The Manchester City players line up during the penalty shoot-out during the Nationwide Division Two Play-Off Final match against Gillingham played at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The match finished in a 2-2 draw after extra-time andin the penalty shoot-out Manchester City won 3-1 and were promoted to Division One. Mandatory Credit: Alex Livesey /Allsport

In the difficult 1998/99 season City were playing in the third tier of English football following almost unthinkable relegation the year before. At the time City were a club in real crisis, troubled by serious financial difficulties and carrying a large squad competing in the lower leagues and struggling.

For the fans the difficulties of supporting City were myriad. This had supposed to be a season where there would be an easy path back but it was not turning out to be the case. Some games were harder than City fans had expected and losses away to Lincoln City and York threatened to derail and define the whole campaign. Asit was, these losses probably only came to define the fans who were there.

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Twenty years ago this weekend City beat Reading 3:1 away from home thanks to a brace of  goals from Cooke and a solitary strike from Goater. City had regrouped by now and were putting together a run of results which would ultimately see them finish the season in third place and competing in the play offs for a chance to secure promotion.

April 1999 would prove to be a difficult month and somehow City managed to claw out enough results to carry them into the play offs. In a parallel with the difficult April we are currently facing, City had to face 3 of their rivals for promotions in 7 games in April.

City started the month with a 1:0 victory over Wigan before drawing away to promotion contenders Preston North End. City reacted to this disappointment by securing three victories on the bounce – a 4:0 home win against Lincoln, a 2:0 home win over Luton and a 2:0 win away at Gillingham. City finished the month with a loss away to Wycombe Wanderers but 4 points from their remaining 2 games in May saw them ease into the play offs.

Nothing about 1998/99 season came easy – even the eventual play off win which lead to our rebirth had to happen the hard way. But during that April twenty years ago we survived on grit and determination and those are two characteristics we may need to call upon again this year.

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